Luftwaffe aircraft
In an age when aircraft were still called machines, the Germans had many, many more of them than the British. To escort and protect its bombers, the Luftwaffe had two powerful machines in its arsenal: the single-engined single-seat Messerschmitt 109 and the twin-engined two-seater Messerschmitt 110. The Messerschmitt 109 and 110
Fast and dangerous, the principal Luftwaffe fighter was the Messerschmitt 109. It was superior to the Hurricane and a more than even match for the Spitfire as its fuel-injected engine allowed inverted dives. A superbly designed aircraft, the pilots of the Messerschmitt 109 believed it to be the best fighter in the world. Not dissimilar in overall concept to the Spitfire, its performance and armament were formidable. It had very good handling characteristics and its ability to climb and dive was second to none. At the start of the Battle of Britain, when the Me109's main job was to draw British fighters into open combat, its pilots could take full advantage of these superior capabilities. However, when the deficiencies of the Me110 became apparent, the 109 had to provide close escort for the bombers and so its speed could no longer be used to its maximum potential and more and more 109’s were destroyed. The Messerschmitt 109 had one serious drawback: with a range of 700 km, it had only 20 minutes' fuel left when it was flying over Kent, and it was at the limit of its range over London. However, the two-engined Messerschmitt 110 had a slightly longer range. Although a highly effective aircraft once its operational limitations were realised, the Me110, a long-range heavy fighter, fared very badly during the Battle of Britain. The Me110 really needed to be used in circumstances where its own side enjoyed a degree of air superiority, something rarely enjoyed by the Luftwaffe over Britain. Its inferior performance meant that when it was confronted with Hurricanes and Spitfires, it was no match for its more agile opponents. Before long the Me110 proved itself incapable of defending the bombers whose responsibility it was to escort.
The Henkel, Dornier and Junker
Of the Luftwaffe bombers, the Heinkel He111 was the most frequently used in the Battle of Britain. Slow, lumbering, easy to shoot down and with a pitifully small bomb load, it had nonetheless proven its reliability in the Spanish civil war. The Dornier Do17, soon replaced by the nimbler Do217 also attacked in large numbers. Faster than the Heinkel, its one drawback was its relatively light bomb load. Perhaps the most advanced and versatile of all the German bombers was the Junkers Ju88. Fast and highly manoeuvrable, this aircraft could launch devastating intruder attacks. Like the Dornier, this aircraft could go into a fast shallow dive after releasing its cargo of bombs or mines. As a result, pursuing fighters were hard pushed to catch it. The Junkers Ju87B Stuka, which had served German ground forces so well in earlier campaigns, proved to be too slow and vulnerable requiring a heavy fighter escort. It was put to good use in the early stages of the battle against shipping and coastal targets but had too many limitations for a more extensive deployment. During World War II, German engineers and scientists helped create the most technologically advanced air force the world had ever seen. But even more incredible were the planes they didn?t have time to build. SECRET LUFTWAFFE AIRCRAFT OF WWII makes a strong case that, had the war lasted much longer, Nazi aviation breakthroughs might have led to a different outcome. See captured, formerly top-secret plans for jet fighters, vertical take off and landing craft, swept-wing planes and much more. But most shocking of all was the Horton 18--a long-range bomber intended to drop a nuclear device on America. The decades-old plans for the Horton were invaluable in the development of the American Stealth aircraft! | 
